300 Main Street, Suite 200, Dubuque, IA 52001
Mon – Thurs 8 am – 5 pm, Fri 8 am – 12 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 23, 2019
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Goodmann Miller, Community and Resource Development Specialist on behalf of Four Mounds Foundation
563.542.6421 | ellenm@gronen.com
Dubuque, IA – Four Mounds Foundation is proud to announce that it is one of five state-wide recipients of a Google.org Impact Iowa Challenge Grant. The $175,000 grant will support an expansion of the Four Mounds HEART program to serve adults disconnected from work.
HEART, which stands for Housing Education and Rehabilitation Training, has worked for the past 16 years with dynamic community partners to serve high school students at-risk of dropping out. Instead of the traditional classroom, students lead gut-rehabilitation projects on distressed properties in Dubuque’s urban core while earning a diploma, developing life-skills, and receiving high-impact mentoring.
Because of HEART’s youth program success, a need to reach adults disconnected from work, and the demand for a skilled workforce in the restoration trades, Four Mounds will expand HEART to add a full-time adult component this fall.
Dr. Becky Bodish, Four Mounds Program Manager, is energized about the funding support from Google.org and the program pilot. “Four Mounds has a 30-year history of serving both at-risk youth and adults on restoration and community service projects at the Four Mounds site, and in Dubuque’s urban core,” she said. “We strive to serve community members who face barriers to success, and this expanded HEART program will provide holistic support, skills training, and a connection to employment opportunities.”
Four Mounds will hire program participants who will work on historic rehabilitation project worksites in downtown Dubuque while receiving education in partnership with NICC. Four Mounds will work with other community partners to help provide needed wrap-around support for participants. “Each participant will be assessed and supported, based on his or her unique needs,” said Bodish.
Four Mounds Board President John Gronen said support for the expanded HEART model is a testament to the strong and innovative partnerships that have been forged over decades of service-learning programming. “From the school district to the City of Dubuque, to Dupaco, Four Mounds understands that partnerships are key to success in our community and that we do nothing alone,” Gronen said.
There’s more: the public now has a chance to vote for their favorite idea. The People’s Choice award, an additional $125,000 grant, will be given to the nonprofit that receives the most public votes.
Four Mounds is asking for the community’s support in winning the People’s Choice award. Public voting begins Friday, August 23 at midnight and ends Friday, August 30 at 11:59 p.m. Voters do not need an email address nor do they need to create an account to vote. There can only be one vote cast per person and it is recommended supporters cast their votes on a cell phone. Votes are to be cast at g.co/IowaChallenge.
About Four Mounds Foundation
Four Mounds Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Dubuque, IA, with a mission is to preserve, educate and serve. To that end, we preserve the natural, architectural and historical resources of the Four Mounds estate, educate with hands-on opportunities for youth and community, and serve through leadership, stewardship, and innovative partnerships. For more information, visit www.fourmounds.org
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